Court offering amnesty on late ticket fines

In an effort to clear a backlog of old cases, Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court is waiving late fees for people who pay overdue tickets this month.

"Most people are watching their money carefully right now," Judge Leslie Spornberger Jones said in a news release. "We know that they want to take care of these matters, but many are less able to, and are afraid to come into court because they know they have the outstanding tickets. We wanted to offer a way for them to clear any outstanding tickets and start the holiday season without these matters hanging over their heads."

Citations handled by Municipal Court include traffic offenses, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, DUIs, driving without a license or with a suspended license, shoplifting, animal control violations, and unsafe or unsanitary living conditions.

The amnesty covers any of those tickets issued before Nov. 1, 2009. It does not cover downtown parking tickets, however.

Fees that will be waived include $50 late fees charged to people who do not appear in court and $100 warrant fees charged to people who do not pay fines within 20 days of a judge issuing a failure-to-appear notice. The warrant itself also will be waived, but reinstating suspended licenses still must be handled through the state.

Municipal Court, located on the first floor of the Clarke County Courthouse, will accept late payments from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Nov. 30.